In The Eye of A Storm
by Amaz.333
Summary: A few minutes had ticked by since he had fallen, and blood began to pool around him. She watched as a woman knelt down beside his body to check for a pulse. Anna knew she wouldn't find one. So, why did the man jump up and grab the woman? Why was that man tearing into her flesh? Why was any of this happening? *View Author Profile for important updates on this story!
1. Prologue

**A/N: I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. Due to some errors with some of the earlier chapters as well as some mistakes on my part, I have chosen to repost the whole story to fix these problems.**

**I have yet to write Chapter Eleven, however, I couldn't stay away any longer. If you are interested in seeing what chapters I am on you'll find my progress on my profile. I will have up to Chapter Nine posted before I return to a regular schedule of posting every Saturday. I will apologize in advance to those who receive alerts on me or this story for blowing up your inboxes.**

**Now that that's out of the way, time for the formalities.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the _Walking Dead_ or any of it characters. _In The Eye of A Storm_ is a nonprofit work purely for my own entertainment as well as the entertainment of others. The following characters are the only characters I do own: Anna Wycoff, Marley Herring, Evan Magnus, and Tyler Anderson.**

_**In The Eye of A Storm**_** is the first installment of my _Walking Dead_ fanfiction that follows 23 year old Anna Wycoff through the apocalypse. It is first and foremost a story of her survival and the struggles she faces; external and internal, physically and mentally.**

**Reviews and critiques are most welcome, appreciated, and helpful. Any question anyone has can be asked through PMs or Reviews. **

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Anna Wycoff was probably one of the last people anyone would think to find in the middle of Georgia on a hot summer day, running down the street of an abandoned neighborhood that resembled a nice place to live. However, there she was, forcing her way into a two story, cookie-cutter house, with a herd of the undead following the scent of her sweat, and the sounds of her thumping heart and huffing breathes.

Slamming the door behind her, Anna took the moment to pull her inhaler out of her pocket. She brought it to her lips to soothe the aching in her lungs, but no medicine came out. She cursed, shaking it before trying again - still nothing. Anna looked on the back to find that her puff amount was now at zero. "Shit." She hissed, as she tossed the inhaler to the side.

Raising her arms, she clasped her hands behind her head and began to pace, taking long deep breaths. Anna muttered to herself, trying to calm down and come up with a plan of escape, but nothing came to mind. She could feel panic build up in the pit of her stomach, clenching her throat. But, now was not the time to lose her head.

Squaring her shoulders, she stood straight – her arms hanging firm at her sides. She stared hard at the opposite wall, fighting the tears that were quickly building up behind her bottom lids. "I. Am. Fine." She seethed. Anna clenched her fists, focusing on her nails pushing into her palms. She felt like her head was underwater, and she could feel a few tears escape down her cheek.

_Escape. I need to escape._ A window shattered behind her, and Anna's eyes snapped to a door that seemed tucked away from where she stood. Forcing her feet forward, she ripped the door open, and dashed out of the house and into the backyard. Without a second thought, Anna ran across the yard and jumped onto the fence. The top of the wood panels scratched her palms as she used her momentum to swing her legs over to the other side. She let go too soon, however, and rolled her right ankle on the hard landing.

Biting back a scream of pain, she took a sharp inhale of air through her nose. Anna rose quickly and began jogging around a pool to a metal door that was placed in the ground. Pain seared up her leg, and her hand stung as air hit her palm. She didn't bother glancing down – she didn't have time to care if her palm had been sliced open on the fence. For the first time in a month she felt a bit of hope. Storm shelters provided safety from more things than just dangerous weather. A growl came to her attention and she turned her head in time to be tackled by a corpse.

She gasped as cold, muggy water hit her in the back. Her burning lungs filled with thick liquid. Anna struggled against her attacker blindly; eyes squeezed shut to prevent green and brown water from infecting her eyes.

_Is this it?_ Anna thought to herself, feeling the hard floor of the pool press against her back, and her ears popping from the water pressure. _Is this how I'm going to die?_


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"Anna, let's go!" Anna stood, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She had to admit that she was rather excited to go to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and visit her family. It had been a few years since they were able to get together and do something like this.

Now, it seemed like she had all the time in the world with college being finished for the summer. One more year and she could start making a name for herself as a writer. Her mother had constantly tried to subtly push her towards a more conventional major while looking for universities, but Anna knew exactly what she wanted to be – happy. Maybe she wasn't going to be rich, or even financially stable, but at least she was going to do what she loved. Hell, she could be homeless, but as long as she had a pad of paper and a pen, she'd be just fine – and her parents were perfectly okay with that.

Anna looked to her friend, Marley Herring, who would be dropping her off at the airport. "I'm coming. God, calm down." Anna laughed, rolling her eyes. She settled into the passenger seat of her friends beat up, red, Dodge, pick-up. The truck lurched forward and took off down their street, turning onto the main road. By the time they hit the highway at 65 mph, they had settled into the comfortable routine of singing along to the radio, and shouting at idiotic drivers.

Once the song ended, the radio host began to talk about the recent events with a mysterious infection that had been going around, and the strange occurrences of cannibalism that had been popping up all over the United States and other countries.

Marley turned the stereo down. "So, you remembered your ticket?" she asked, glancing at Anna.

"Yes _Mom_." Anna teased.

An hour passed before the pair finally pulled up to the airport. Anna got her suitcase checked in at baggage claim and was prepared to go through the metal detector when she turned back the Marley. "I wish you were coming, too," Anna groaned.

Marley shrugged, "I do too, but I've got my own family stuff to deal with. You have fun, though, and say hello to your family for me." The friends hugged before parting.

Marley sat in a waiting area that had a good view of Anna's flight. She watched as the loading terminal retracted and the plane began its slow journey down the run way before it picked up speed for take-off.

In the pit of her stomach, Marley felt a tangle of knots forming, and in the distance to her left, she heard a scream. Turning her head, Marley slowly rose to her seat, the pain she felt in her abdomen burning now. She knew that it was her weird sense of foreboding, but she couldn't quite place it – until a horde of people began to run in her direction. Pressing herself to the windows so she wouldn't get trampled, Marley watched the large crowd of people pass her by in a panic. She knew she should run along with them until she could get herself to a safer place, but she wanted to know what they were running from.

The last few people began to pass her when another group of people came jogging through the lobby – but they looked a bit different. Marley took in the blood that ran down their fronts, and the portions of flesh that were missing. Lastly, she took in the two sets of empty, hollow eyes that noticed her solitary figure against the window, and were now approaching her.

"Shit."

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><p>The turbulence had been maddening to Anna. She hated planes, and it had been more or less obvious to the passenger beside her as she clutched the seat belt around her torso for dear life.<p>

"Don't like flying?" the man asked as the plane leveled out in the sky and the seat belt sign turned off.

"Nope, I love flying – it's the plane I don't like," she laughed.

The man beside her let out a chuckle, "I'm Evan Magnus," he held out his hand for Anna to shake.

"Anna Wycoff," she replied, accepting the welcoming gesture.

Evan sat back in his seat, pulling down the tray, "So, where are you headed, Anna Wycoff?"

"South Carolina." She replied, doing the same. Evan raised his hand and pressed the call button for a stewardess. "I'm spending time with family. Where are you going?"

"Atlanta for business, stopping off in South Carolina to see my daughter." A cheery and attractive stewardess appeared then to see what was needed. Evan ordered two waters and a sandwich. Anna requested one as well, and the stewardess was off to fill the order. Evan turned to Anna, allowing himself to take in her appearance.

Anna Wycoff was young – old enough to drink. She had long brown hair, braided over her shoulder. Although her skin could be a beautiful tan, she was very pale for her complexion, which suggested that she didn't go outside much. She wore a green jacket that was slightly too large for her, – obscuring her figure – and faded blue jeans. Although he believed that you could tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wore, he couldn't see what she was wearing on her feet.

What Evan hadn't noticed was that Anna had already looked him over. A pale man, but rather freckled, so he probably went outside more than she did. Blonde hair, she had to squint to see the grey around his temples. His hazel eyes were surrounded by crows-feet indicating a lot of laughter and smiles. Evan wore a white button up with a black tie; his blue blazer slung over his arm rest matched his pants. Even though she couldn't see his shoes, she guessed that they were probably black dress shoes. Although he spoke of a daughter, Evan wasn't wearing a wedding band which meant one of two things; either he cheated on his wife, or he was divorced.

Anna and Evan continued to talk and it was clear that Anna was relaxing. Her grip loosened on her seatbelt until she let go entirely to eat her sandwich. Three hours into the flight, Evan decided to make himself comfortable with an in-flight blanket and pillow to doze off.

Despite Anna's reluctance towards not having a good distraction, she bid a fair sleep and began to gaze out the window. Like she had said to Evan before, she was not afraid of flying - in fact she loved the sight and feeling of being above the clouds and far away from the troubles of the Earth. It was the metal tube that she distrusted. Sometimes, she'd dream of flying without the limitations of humanity, skirting her fingertips along water vapor and feeling the wind whip through her hair and across her face; the sobering sting of the cold air against her cheeks.

The thought of her favorite dream made her mind drift into an unconscious state of being. Not exactly asleep, but not exactly awake either, Anna began to see images of men running past her, their faces gaunt and pale. Bars obscured her vision; she watched as shaking hands grasped the cold metal, a few of the nails seemed to have been torn out. She could hear laughter echoing in her ears, and feel copper in her mouth.

Anna's heart started racing and pounding against her chest, fear gripped her lungs, she couldn't breathe. The bars began to shake violently, her whole body with it. She felt a hand on her arm. Unable to move, Anna gasped and opened her eyes, but the shaking wouldn't stop.

Beside her was Evan, a worried look on his face. "Hey, you were having a nightmare."

Anna shook her head, and rubbed her face. "How long was I asleep? Are we there already?" people always looked at her funny when she left her seatbelt on for entire trips on a plane.

"No. The captain said that all flights were ordered to land immediately. We're descending in Atlanta right now." Evan replied, leaning back in his seat. He continued to watch Anna out of the corner of his eye, concern etched onto his profile. The plane continued through the turbulence as it neared the landing.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Anna had struggled through a slight panic attack until the plane came to a complete stop. While she and Evan waited for the stewardess to tell them they could exit the plane, Anna lifted her window blind. Outside she could see a large white tent and various soldiers. "What's going on?" she heard a man closer to the front of the plane asked. Apparently, he had looked outside, as well.

A soldier stepped into view at the front, picking up the phone the head stewardess used to give directions. "My name is Lt. Davis. Now, I need you all to remain calm and listen carefully."

"Are we in danger?" cried an older woman on the other side of the aisle.

"No, ma'am, there is no danger. We just need you to exit the plane in an orderly fashion and form a line outside the white tent you'll see outside." Lt. Davis replied.

"What for?" someone called from the back.

"I'll let the stewardess direct you to exit." Lt. Davis stated, handing over the phone and leaving the plane.

The older flight attendant, seeming quite shaken, began to inform the passengers that she would call them off by row. Soon, Anna was following Evan out and towards the tent. It felt like an excruciatingly long time before they made it to the entrance of what turned out to be a makeshift medical facility.

Evan reached behind him, offering his hand to Anna, which she gladly accepted. A soldier stopped each person and asked them a question.

"Get your ID out." Evan stated. Glancing at a soldier she passed, Anna quickly fumbled for her wallet. They finally reached the front of the line and Anna could see twelve or so doctors checking the vital signs of the passengers.

"ID." commanded the soldier. Evan handed over his ID and the officer proceeded to list off information from the card to a young woman standing to his right, clipboard in hand. "Alright, go over to the next available terminal. Next!" Evan squeezed Anna's hand before letting go and heading over to a free hospital bed. "ID."

Anna looked up at the soldier before handing over her driver's license. While he called off her information, Anna peeked at his name tag. _Hernandez…_ she didn't know why her mind went back to her days at high school, but she could recall having a crush on a boy named Hernandez. He was a year younger than her, but you couldn't tell by looking at him.

Anna's eyes wandered over to another passenger being checked. It didn't look like his results were good considering the way the doctor walked over to what seemed to be the commanding officer of the medical tent. They whispered to each other before the passenger was escorted out of the tent by two soldiers carrying large guns.

"Ma'am," Anna snapped back to reality, and looked to Hernandez. He handed her ID card back, "Go to the next available terminal." Which was the one she had just watched be vacated.

_It's just your vitals…._ she thought walking over to the bed.

She took a seat and removed her jacket to allow the doctor to put a blood pressure cuff around her right arm. "Open your mouth, please." She did as he said and looked over at Evan who seemed to be answering questions.

"Have you had any illnesses recently?" the doctor asked, drawing her attention back to him. Anna shook her head. "Have you come into contact with any sick people lately?" she shook her head again. "Alright, I'm going to need to take a blood sample."

_Needles…. _She could feel her stomach twist at the thought. "What for – what's going on?"

"Please, just give me your arm." The doctor sighed, holding out his hand.

She hesitated for a moment before holding out her arm. He wiped some disinfectant on her skin before poking her with the needle. She hissed and looked away.

Looking towards Evan's terminal she saw an old woman sitting in his place. He was gone. _Is he done already?_ Anna wondered until a gut wrenching thought came to her. _What if they escorted him out?_ She couldn't help but think the worst of what happened to people who were escorted out.

"Okay." Anna whipped her head around to look at the doctor holding a vial of her blood. "Let me just test this sample and you're done." He stated, injecting a solution into her blood. He swirled it around a little until it turned blue.

"What does blue mean?" she asked, staring hard at her blood.

"It means you're good." He smiled at Anna, looking relieved, "Congratulations, you're my first patient who's been blue. I thought I was cursed for a while."

Anna let herself smile back before she considered what he said, "What does it mean if the sample doesn't turn blue?" she asked.

The doctor's smile dropped from his face, "Just stop by the desk at the end of the tent to get your wrist band, it'll let everyone know you passed."

Although she wanted to push for an answer, she knew he wouldn't spill. She grabbed her carryon and headed for the desk he had directed her towards. "Name?" the woman sitting there asked.

"Anna Wycoff. Have you—" the woman cut her off by handing her a wrist band. She slipped it on, seeing her name printed on it. "Um, have you seen a man named Evan Magnus?"

The woman looked up at her, looking annoyed, before scanning her list of names. "Evan Magnus, green lighted. You'll probably find him at baggage claim. Now, move along." She snapped. Anna nodded and left the tent quickly searching for a familiar face.

"Anna!" Anna turned towards the voice and saw Evan jogging up to her.

"Evan! I thought maybe you didn't get through." Anna sighed, touching Evan's arm to be sure he was real.

Evan smiled, "Me? I'm healthy as an ox."

"Assuming the ox is healthy." Someone said from behind Evan.

"Oh!" Evan turned and brought a man forward, "This is one of my business partners, Tyler Anderson –"

Tyler cut him off suddenly, "You can call me Mr. Anderson." Evan gave a short glare at _Mr. Anderson_ before turning back to Anna. Anna took quick stock of the man before her. He was, perhaps, in his early 30s, with well combed black hair and brown eyes so dark she almost thought they were black. His smooth, pale face showed just how little amusement them man allowed in his life. He was thin, in a black and white business suit, his jacket held in his arms.

"Mr. Anderson, this is Anna Wycoff – we met on the plane."

Mr. Anderson scrutinized Anna carefully, making her feel like she was at a job interview. "A bit…," he paused, seeming to choose his words carefully, "she's a bit young for you, isn't she?"

Evan choked back a laugh before shaking his head vigorously. "It's not like that! God, she's the same age as my daughter!" Mr. Anderson seemed to straighten at the mention of Evan's daughter, but quickly turned his eyes towards the medical tent to watch as a few more people came out. "Anyway, we should go see if our luggage has arrived." Evan stated before heading off towards the airports main building.

As the trio neared the building, Evan chattered jovially about the weather in Georgia. Mr. Anderson made snide comments here and there showing is distaste for the heat. However, Anna found herself distracted. She looked every which way trying to see what might have happened to the passengers who had not passed the blood-sample test.

"What do you think happened to them?" She asked suddenly, giving up in her search and staring straight ahead.

"Happened to whom?" Mr. Anderson asked.

Evan cleared his throat, holding the door open for them. Cool air hit Anna like a breath of fresh air. She wasn't a fan of winter, but she definitely didn't like standing in the immense Georgia heat. "The other passengers," Anna clarified, slipping on her jacket, Mr. Anderson doing the same.

"They're probably being treated." Evan said, waving her concern off. "Come on, baggage claim is over here."

It wasn't long before they had reached the large crowd surrounding the conveyer belts and retrieved their luggage. Anna had lost sight of Mr. Anderson for a short time before he returned to her side. "The food court is on the third floor." He stated. The reminder of food had Anna's stomach turn in hunger.

"Well, I could eat. What about you?" Evan asked, his eyes on Anna as he rubbed his stomach, a goofy grin stretched across his face.

"Yeah." She laughed.

After making it to the third floor and eating their fill, the three lingered over by the wall of windows that looked over the landing strips. Evan and Mr. Anderson spoke about the business meeting they were a few days early for, casually commenting on the idiosyncrasies of the other people they worked with. Anna stared out the window she was leaning against, and watched as more and more people were directed off of planes, through the medical tents and towards the main building.

As she watched, though, something caught her eye. Behind the tents, away from the view of the passengers below the third floor, were military transport trucks slowly filling with people. Anna's brow furrowed in confusion and slight anger as she noticed the soldiers ushering the people onto the trucks, had their weapons drawn.

On the far left she saw one man fighting against his escort. When he finally broke away from the two soldiers, he began to run towards the crowd of people, his mouth open in a scream.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Time seemed to slow down as Anna witnessed the soldiers raise their guns at the man. She could hear the faint popping of the weapons fire, and watched as the man fell to the ground, blood misting through the wind from the exit wounds that they left on his body.

The passengers who had just filed out of the medical tents began to scream in fear, the gun shots louder for them than they were for her. A large crowd made their way towards the noise to see the man who tried to flee lying there, dead. The group began to shout at the soldiers in rage, while the soldiers tried to ease the tension without use of force before a fight broke out.

However, all of this was like background noise for Anna, as she stared at the man on the ground. A few minutes had ticked by since he had fallen, and blood began to pool around him. She watched as a woman knelt down beside his body to check for a pulse. Anna knew she wouldn't find one. So, why did the man jump up and grab the woman? Why was that man tearing into her flesh?

Why was Anna being tugged away from the window?

"Anna, we need to go!" Evan shouted. He began to drag Anna behind him as he followed Mr. Anderson to an exit.

Her senses seemed to have stopped working when she saw what had happened on the tar, but now they were hitting her as if she had been hit by a bus. She could hear screaming coming from all directions. She tightened her hold on Evan's hand as fear began to grip at her heart.

Mr. Anderson threw the door to the stairwell open, he held it open long enough for Evan and Anna to squeeze in after him. Mr. Anderson slammed the door shut, his breath coming in huffs, but his face remained unemotional.

"What happened?" Anna asked, barely able to speak past the tightness in her chest. She dug through her carryon bag – a green canvas satchel – and pulled out her blue inhaler. She shook it hard and gave two puffs before leaning against the cold wall. "What the hell is going on?" she shouted.

"Anna, just calm down…," Evan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Up or down?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.

Mr. Anderson answered anyway. "Down – we can grab a taxi and head to my apartment."

Evan nodded, and held his hand out to me, his face grim. "I want to know what's happening." Anna pleaded.

"And I'll tell you, let's just get somewhere safe first, okay?" he soothed, his eyes begging her to just shut up and follow.

Anna let out a hesitant breath, but began to jog down the stairs, ignoring Evan's offered hand.

By the time they reached the first floor exit – which wasn't long – chaos had broken out in the pickup lane. People were frantically trying to get a ride away from the airport, and cars were speeding past. Various pile ups had already started, and they all knew they wouldn't be able to get a taxi.

They began to push through the crowd of screaming and terrified people. Eventually, Evan and Anderson ended up in front of Anna. She kept her eyes locked on their backs trying to shove her way past every obstacle.

Suddenly, she felt something clutch her arm and yank her to the right. She let out a scream that drowned in the rest of the noise surrounding her. As she attempted to fight off her capture she saw Evan and Anderson disappear further into the crowd. Her heart pounded in panic and she turned in time to receive a fist slamming against her jaw. She yelped in pain. "Let me go!" she shouted, throwing her free hand out towards whoever had hold of her. She was glad she hadn't cut her nails when she felt skin give way under them. Her assailant let out a howl, exchanging his grip on her arm, to pull her by her hair.

Tears sprang up immediately at the searing pain in her scalp. She dug her nails into the skin on the person's wrist, kicking and screaming as he pulled her around a corner. Anna was thrown against the wall, feeling her arm hit the concrete hard. She groaned, but rose from the ground. She looked towards the one who had brought her here.

He was large man – if she had to guess, Anna would have said he was a wrestler, but for some reason she doubted her was. He had brown, thinning hair, and dark eyes – dark eyes that were trailing over her body. She shivered at the feeling of him looking at her.

Steeling herself, Anna looked around the area. The only way out was to get past him and the only way to truly defend herself was a pipe that laid too far away for her to reach for discretely. She knew for all the bulk the man carried, he would be slow, so she had to be fast, grab the pipe and aim for his head – anywhere else would only serve to make him angrier than he already seemed to be.

The man took a step forward and Anna darted towards the pipe. She really wished that she was better at gauging people's abilities, because the man had managed to snag her ankles and trip her. She fell to the ground scraping her chin on the rough asphalt. She was close enough to the pipe that the tip of her fingers could brush against it, but she was too distracted to reach for it as the man flipped her over.

He placed a knee on each of her legs, putting his weight on her left leg, holding her down with his right hand against her chest. His other hand found it's to her waist and began to undo her pants.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh no! Get the pipe! Get the pipe! Critiques and Reviews are welcome, appreciated and helpful!**


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears back she brought one hand up to his face and began to dig her thumb into his eye. He brought the hand that was working on her pants up to rip her hand away, but she brought her other hand to dig into his other eye. Both of his hands tried to pry her hands away from his face.

She could feel more pressure on her left leg, giving her the chance to free her right leg and bring it up into the man's crotch. He yelped and jumped away from her. She rolled onto her stomach and crawled towards the pipe before she staggered to her feet.

Anna turned in time to see him charging as she raised the pipe. She swung and landed a hit right against his ear, leaving him disoriented long enough for her to give one more whack to knock him out and run/limp away while replacing her pants zipper and button.

She skirted the wall, avoiding the growing crowd of frantic people, but she slowly began to realize that quite a few of them were attacking the others. "What the hell?" she mumbled, staring wide eyed as a woman dragged a man down and began to tear into his flesh.

Instinctively, Anna took a step forward wanting to help the man, but stopped as the woman's head snapped up to look at her. As the woman rose to her feet and stumbled towards her, Anna felt like her heart was in her throat. She looked the woman over, saw the blood that ran down her front, the chunk of flesh that was missing in her arm, the dead of her eyes.

Anna's heart began to race as she was yanked to the left and away from the woman. On reflex, Anna lashed out, striking whoever had grabbed her in the cheek. "Anna!" shouted the person. She turned to see Evan rubbing his cheek, pulling her along. "Anderson found us a car, we need to hurry!" he whispered. Just ahead Anna could see Anderson sitting in the drivers' seat of a tan pinto.

Evan ripped the passenger door open and shoved Anna inside before hopping in himself. Anna crawled her way to the back and began to nurse her leg as the car lurched forward. Anderson sped out of the havoc, skillfully dodging nearly every obstacle.

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><p>Despite his earlier display of driving ability, Anderson found it difficult to navigate the chaos of the city streets to his apartment, so the three opted to make the last few blocks on foot. Evan began to sift through the pinto as Anderson got out, pulling his seat forward for Anna.<p>

As she slid over to get out of the cramped car, her aching foot bumped against something solid. She reached down and pulled out a black gun. "9mm Beretta…," Anderson observed. Evan snatched the gun from Anna's hands and jumped out of the car.

"It's only missing one bullet." Evan stated after examining the clip.

"Too bad we don't have time to search the car some more." Anderson said, nodding in the direction they had come from. Evan and Anna turned to see a large group of people running towards them, followed by an even larger group of people who seemed to be chasing them.

Evan slipped the clip back into the gun, "Time to go." Evan stated grabbing Anna's hand – not wanting to get separated from her again.

As they hurried away, Anderson took note of Anna's limping. He turned into an ally quickly, and grabbed the gun from Evan without a word. "Carry her." Anderson said and continued through the ally.

Evan looked at Anna who merely gestured to her leg. Without another word, Evan scooped her up and the caught up to Anderson. Anna couldn't help but wonder if Anderson even knew how to use that gun.

By the time they had reached Anderson's street the sun was beginning to set. The three had only run into five delays with people and the creatures, proving to Anna just how good of a shot Anderson was.

Once they reached Anderson's building they made their way up the stairs to the sixth level and into the apartment. "Make yourself useful, Magnus, and barricade the door." Anderson stated as he disappeared down the hall. Evan sighed and set her down on the couch before he set to work. Anderson returned shortly with a first aid kit and began to examine her leg. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes scanning her ankle for swelling.

"It's not my ankle, it's my knee mostly." Anna muttered. She saw the faintest of blushes on Anderson's cheeks before he stood up, and pointed at the hall he had come from.

"At the end of the hall is my bedroom – in the top drawer of my dresser is a pair of shorts. Go put those on and I'll look at your knee." Anna nodded and hobbled down the hall.

Anna made quick work of changing into some shorts, and took some time to look around Anderson's room. It was very neat, and somewhat plain. His bed was made up with a grey comforter, there was a desk in the corner with a black computer and frames lining the walls with no pictures in them, but what looked like awards and certificates. On his nightstand was a black, triangle frame, with a golden plaque and the United States flag inside.

"Sit down. You shouldn't be standing on a bad leg." Anna jumped a little at Anderson's sudden presence but did as commanded. He knelt down in front of her and resumed his examination of her leg before he wrapped an ace bandaged around it. "I'll give you some pain medicine."

Anna nodded, watching as Anderson left. She fell back on his bed, closing her eyes and replaying everything that had happened since getting off that plane. She wondered if it was the same everywhere else, if her family was safe, if Marley was. _What the hell is happening?_

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><p><strong>AN: Critiques and Reviews are welcome, appreciated and helpful!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

It had been three weeks since the initial outbreak had hit the fan. Anna, Anderson, and Evan had stayed at the apartment for as long as possible until news of bombing the city had reached them through the limited grape-vine. They didn't want to risk it just being a silly rumor, so they packed essentials and headed for a less populated area.

The men spent a lot of time teaching Anna self-defense and the basics of hunting. She took quickly to the guns, she struggled a bit with hand-to-hand combat due to her lack of exercise before, and she wasn't very fond of hunting – preferring instead to learn which berries were safe to eat – but, despite her distaste for that particular activity she did learn how to do it.

Now, the three were setting up camp in a clearing they had come across in their trek through the woods. They had fallen into a routine, each having a specific job to do – Evan put up the tent, Anderson put up a protective perimeter and Anna gathered firewood. After their tasks were finally finished they'd gather around the camp fire – kept low to avoid being spotted – and had a meager meal.

"We're going to need to make a run into the city, we need some more supplies." Anderson stated, taking a bite from the rabbit leg in his hands. "I have a list of what we need and where to find it so it shouldn't take us too long."

Evan nodded, swallowing his own rabbit leg, "Will you be okay for a few hours, Anna?" Evan asked still not keen on leaving her alone since she had told them of what nearly happened at the airport.

Anna nodded, but the uneasy look on her face didn't go unnoticed by Anderson. "We'll only be gone for a few hours tomorrow, just stay in camp and you should be safe." He tried to reassure her.

"Yeah," Evan agreed, "You'll have a gun, and you've always got your knife." Anna looked down at the knife tucked in her boot. It was barely the length of her hand, and she did not want to think about getting so close to a walker, as they had taken to calling them, to have to use it. "Alright, I'll take first watch."

Anna took her leave and entered the tent. It was rather small, barely fitting two people at a time. She didn't bother removing her boots as she curled up on top of her sleeping bag, tucking herself into her jacket before she took out a notebook Evan had brought back from a supply run for her. She stared at what she had already written, chewing on her top lip.

In her high school psychology class, she had learned that when you lose someone you slowly forgot what they look like. When she realized she had forgotten what her mother had smelt like, Anna had had a slight emotional break. She had cried for two days, and sat perfectly still for another three. When her companions had decided it was safe to speak to her, she had told them she was trying to remember – which prompted Evan to make a supply run and bring back a notebook, having learned she was a writer, so that she could write down every detail she did remember of her friends and family so that she wouldn't forget anything else.

Now, Anna had taken to reading over everything she had written to imagine her loved ones in her head before she went to sleep – and if she was really lucky, she'd dream of them.

* * *

><p>Anderson stood beside Evan, staring out into the dark. To most people Anderson appeared to be an emotionless man. However, Evan had known him for a majority of his life and could tell when his friend was worried. "What's wrong?" Evan asked, finally breaking the silence.<p>

Anderson knew he couldn't brush off Evan's concern and say there was nothing wrong, because something had been plaguing him since that day at the airport – only; he had no idea how to broach the topic with Evan. So, he remained stoic, attempting to phrase his question correctly.

"It's about Anna, isn't it?" Evan guessed. Anderson sighed, nodding. He knew Evan didn't lash out very often, but he couldn't help but fear his friend's reactions.

"Why?" Anderson asked, refusing to look at Evan. "Why do you keep her around? Doesn't it hurt?" he wouldn't pretend to understand how other people feel – he barely understood his own feelings at times.

"It does…, but it would hurt worse if I didn't know she was safe." Evan replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Anderson nodded – now,_ that_ he could understand.

Anderson rubbed the back of his neck, squinting at the trees, "You sure you don't want me to take first watch?" he asked. Evan shook his head, waving his offer off. Anderson nodded once before heading to the tent.

Once inside, he flopped down onto his sleeping bag, one hand behind his head the other across his stomach. He looked over at Anna, curled up with her back to him. Her even breathing assured him she was asleep. _Yeah…,_ Anderson thought, _I can understand the worry…._

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews would be awesome guys! Any questions can be asked through reviews or PMs!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Anna rolled over to see that she was alone in the tent, sunlight piercing through the fabric walls and giving her a headache. She rubbed the heel of her hands into her eyes in an attempt to fight off sleep. She forced herself up, running her tongue along her teeth, grimacing at the taste.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a toothbrush and some toothpaste. She unzipped the tent and stumbled out. Evan and Anderson were sitting around the extinguished fire munching on some energy bars in silence. "Morning, sleeping beauty!" Evan greeted. Anna had realized quickly that Evan was a morning person, and while she liked the guy, she couldn't help but glare at him when he was so chipper. "We're leaving in 30, are you sure you'll be okay?" Evan asked. Anna grumbled, waving her hand to indicate she would be fine before snatching up the water bottle that had been waiting for her thanks to Anderson.

Anna was quick at adapting to her environment, so she was only frustrated at the lack of running water for a few minutes. She squeezed some toothpaste into her mouth before sipping up some water and scrubbing her teeth with the toothbrush. Once she had finished with that, she sat beside the fire pit and began to actually engage in conversation with the other two while combing her fingers through her hair.

"Do you think you'll run into any problems?" she asked, making a disgusted face at her fingers when they came out of her hair with various greasy, brown strands.

Anderson was the one to reply, "I doubt it, but we'll keep our guard up."

Evan nodded, digging the toe of his boat into the dirt, "You need anything while we're out?" he asked, glancing over at Anna who simply shook her head with a smile.

Thirty minutes had passed quickly, and Anna found herself alone in camp. It wasn't the first time she had been left behind during a supply run – the men refused to take her into the city – so, she went about her routine of cleaning herself with baby wipes, gathering the trash around camp, and checking the perimeter.

It wasn't long before she found herself without anything to do, so she decided to head down to a stream she remembered passing a few days ago. She plucked a small bottle of a shampoo/conditioner mix from her bag and headed out with her knife tucked in her boot and her gun drawn in her right hand – if she was anything, she was cautious.

Anna reached the stream in no time and began to scrub her hair clean, alert of her surroundings. Her heart always pounded when she risked going anywhere alone, if Evan and Anderson knew that she wondered around the woods while they were on supply runs they would have tied her to a tree or something – which would have proved useless, she was oddly adept at untying knots.

Reaching down to rinse the suds from her scalp, she heard a high pitched growl to her left. Anna straightened quickly, fumbling for the gun she had tucked into her jeans, cursing in pain as the shampoo/conditioner mix seeped into her eyes. Aiming the gun towards the sounds of an approaching walker, Anna tried to wipe her eyes clear. The world was bright and blurry as she was knocked to the ground the gun falling from her hands.

"Shit! Shit!" Anna pushed back on the heavy body atop her, blindly trying to avoid the snapping jaws of the corpse. She knew if she risked reaching for her knife, she'd lose this fight. So, Anna did the only thing she could do – improvise.

Bringing her knee up into the walker's stomach, she forced them to roll over. Anna held its arms down with her hands, straddling it. Her vision slowly cleared and she could see she was facing down a young blonde – about her age. Anna saw her gun close by and reached for it. The blonde took this chance to knock Anna off. Anna scrambled to her feet only to be pushed back to the ground. She held tight to her gun, this time, and brought it up to the corpse's chin. "I'm sorry," she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut as she pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>The gun shot was still ringing in her ears as she returned to camp. Anna felt numb as she entered the tent and collapsed onto her sleeping bag, her hand still gripping her gun. She stared at the tent ceiling, her eyes seeming far away.<p>

She'd killed a few walkers before today, but this was different. This one was her age, and – aside from the blonde hair – looked far too much like her friend, Marley.

Anna hadn't wanted to think about the possibility of her best friend being dead, or worse – one of those _things_. However, now she was faced with the very _real_ and very _painful_ reality; everyone she had cared for – her friends, her family – could be gone.

Tears began to pour from her eyes, her chest burning and her stomach churning severely. Anna allowed strangled sobs erupt from her mouth. Shaking violently, Anna sat up and brought the gun to her temple, her finger hovering over the trigger. Visions of the last time she had seen Marley and her family flooded her mind. She could remember a night that seemed so long ago, Marley holding her, comforting her, coaxing her down from her episode. _"You aren't done yet."_

"Anna!" She dropped the gun, blinking rapidly, delirious. "Anna!" that was Anderson. She wiped the tears off her face and crawled out of the tent. She saw Anderson entering the camp, looking over his shoulder frantically, dragging Evan behind him.

"What happened?" she asked, reaching back to grab her gun, noticing the small group of walkers that was trailing behind them.

Anderson dropped Evan beside the fire pit, turning back to down the walkers. "Stay with him!" he ordered. Anna nodded, kneeling beside her friend. She looked him over, taking in the blood that was staining the side of his shirt.

"Evan?" Anna called, placing her hand on his cheek. He stared up at her, a soft smile on his face.

"I'm okay." He whispered, taking her hand. She shook her head, looking up in time to see a walker approaching. She fired a shot, hitting it in the middle of his face and dropping him. Anderson made quick work of the others, before returning to Evan's side.

"He was shot." Anderson stated simply, lifting him slightly, gesturing for Anna to grab his legs. "In the tent." They laid him down on one of the sleeping bags, "First aid kit, in my bag." Anna retrieved it without a sound. "You may want to leave." He suggested, pulling out a knife and tearing open Evan's shirt.

"No – I'll be fine." She protested.

"Anna, there may have been more walkers behind us, and this is going to be loud. I _need_ you to go outside and keep watch." Anderson said firmly. Anna bit her tongue and left, clutching her gun in her hands, her eyes trained on the tree line.

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><p>It was an hour before Anderson emerged from the tent. Anna had only seen a few walkers and she had quickly taken them out with her knife, not wanting to attract any more. Anna waited patiently for Anderson to tell her how Evan was, and what exactly happened. However, he said nothing, didn't even look at her, and it was pissing her off.<p>

"Well?" she asked, her irritation obvious. Anderson sat down beside the fire pit, digging through his breast pocket before pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He placed the stick between his lips before lighting it. He breathed in deeply, his bloody hands surprisingly steady as he removed the cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"He'll be fine." Anna let out a breath she was unaware she was holding. "We'll need to keep an eye on him, but he'll be okay." Anna nodded, "I need to go back into the city."

Anna narrowed her eyes at Anderson, "Why?"

Anderson sighed, taking another drag of his cigarette, "I don't have all the necessary supplies I need for Evan's wound."

"If you don't get the _necessary supplies_?" she asked, failing to keep the venom out of her words.

"The wound will most likely get infected, Evan will get sick, suffer horribly, and then die." Anderson shrugged, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Anna stared, horrified at Anderson. "You said he would be _fine_." She hissed.

"I'm not a doctor Anna…,"

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to calm down. She knew Anderson had just as much to lose – if not more – as she did if Evan didn't make it. "Do you have any idea where you can get what you need?"

Anderson nodded, "The hospital for sure, or a medical supply store."

"How long does he have without it?" she asked, he shrugged his shoulders – something she never saw him do before – "Can you make a guess?" she pushed.

"A week – _maybe_." He said, taking another drag. "I'd have to leave tomorrow to ensure I come back at all."

Anna nodded, remaining silent as Anderson started a low fire. This was going to be a long night.

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><p><strong>AN: Critiques and Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and helpful!**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

It had been three days since Anderson had left for the city, and it would have been an understatement to say that Anna was worried. She spent a majority of her time tending to Evan, who only seemed to be getting worse. His wound had gotten infected despite her constantly cleaning and redressing it.

Currently, she was trying to get a delirious Evan to eat, but he kept pushing the food away mumbling something about a crock-pot. Anna huffed in frustration, cursing Anderson under her breath. Why hadn't he returned yet? _Did he ditch us?_ She thought bitterly. She glanced over at Evan who was now smiling at a bug crawling along the tent wall. _Survival of the fittest…. _Anna shook her head and tried once more to get Evan to eat.

In the city was an entirely different situation. At the moment, Anderson was stuck inside a convenient store waiting for a large group of corpses to pass by. He had found it rather difficult to get anywhere near the hospital so opted to go for a medical supply store – which, alone, took a day and a half to locate. Now that he had what he needed, he had to get out of the city and back to Evan.

This wasn't the first time Evan was depending on him, and he hated the thought of failing him again. _Not again…._ He thought, checking for the forty-seventh time that he had everything in his backpack.

_"Uncle Tyler!" a little girl with curly brown hair launched herself at Anderson. He quickly scooped her up in his arms and spun her around, a smile spread across both of their faces – a stark contrast to his usual demeanor._

Anderson shook himself from the memories and glanced outside. He cursed under his breath when it became obvious the walkers weren't going to be moving anytime soon.

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><p>Evan stared up at the tent ceiling, watching the light grow dimmer. He had just woken, with sweat pouring down his face. For a moment he thought that maybe it was all a dream, a hellish nightmare. He could have sworn he was just talking to his daughter that she was trying to get him to eat something. But, that couldn't be right. She was dead, they were all dead. His ex-wife was dead, Anderson was dead, she, was dead.<p>

He began to choke on his sobs, and couldn't hold back anymore. He cried out, his emotional pain so strong he could feel it on a physical level – more specifically, in his side; it felt like he'd been shot. "God!" he screamed, gripping his side.

A figure came into view, hovering over him, a woman. "Baby?" he asked, reaching up to touch the woman's face. "Is that my baby girl?"

"Evan, it's me, Anna."

Evan shook his head and smiled, "I'll be with you real soon, princess…," he coughed, covering his mouth so he didn't get his little girl sick. He drew his hand away and saw blood sprinkled along his palm. He smiled back up at her, "…, we'll roast marshmallows in the fireplace, momma will make your favorite; chocolate muffins, and I can laugh as Uncle Tyler has a tea party with you."

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><p>Anna stared at the dying man before her. She knew that he didn't have long without Anderson here and she couldn't help the hatred that built up in the pit of her stomach. This was Anderson's best friend – his dying best friend – and he wasn't here. He abandoned him, abandoned both of them.<p>

"Okay…, Daddy." She nodded, smiling sadly at her friend. If he wanted to believe that she was his daughter, than who was she to deny him that? She didn't even know if his daughter was even still alive. "Rest now…," she whispered, loosening the grip on his hand she hadn't even noticed before. He nodded off, that goofy grin spread across his face with a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

She wiped the blood away as delicately as she could before rising from his side and exiting the tent. Anna stood outside, staring unseeing into the woods. She had nearly had a heart attack when she heard Evan crying out, she had clutched at her chest trying to calm her palpitations. Now, all she wanted to do was rip her heart out so she could stop feeling the gut wrenching pain.

Thoughts of Anderson's betrayal filled her mind. She bit back her scream of rage as she kicked the can of beans she had just been eating. Falling to the ground, Anna clutched her head and allowed the tears to flow freely, and the sobs to wrack through her body. Later she would think how tremendously lucky she was that there weren't any walkers near enough to hear her emotional break.

If she ever saw Tyler Anderson again, she'd kill him.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for how short this chapter is. Critiques and Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and helpful!**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

She'd kill him. Anna swore she would kill him. She thought over and over again in her head every detail of what she would do to Tyler Anderson.

She thought of different scenarios in which she would see him again – if she survived alone. She nodded her head as she thought of each movement she'd make, estimated his reactions – she could feel blood pumping through her veins – the adrenaline. The thought of ending the man's life was the _only_ thing keeping her alive now. Her family could be dead, her friends – she had nothing, no one.

Anna paced in front of the tent, bringing her hand up to her mouth to roll her top lip between her index finger and thumb. Thinking about all of that could wait. She needed to start digging.

Her fingers curled around the small shovel Evan had brought back on a supply run. Her bottom lip began to tremble as she shoved the business end of the shovel into the dirt. "Damn it." She cursed under her breath as tears spilled down her face.

_ Anna entered the tent, planning on getting Evan to eat again. She found that if she called him daddy, pretending to be his daughter, she had more luck. "Hey…." Anna smiled, kneeling beside her friend. "It's time to eat, daddy."_

_ Evan gave her a sad smile, shaking his head no. "Anna…," her smile grew at the thought that maybe he was getting better. "I don't want you wasting any more food on me." The statement caused her face to drop. Opening her mouth to protest, Evan held his hand up weakly. "Don't argue." He coughed suddenly, blood spraying out into the hand that went to cover his mouth. "I just want you to listen, okay?" Anna shut her mouth, letting out a frustrated huff before complying. "Anderson isn't going to come back in time." Anna bit the inside of her cheek, holding back her comments. "He's going to be very upset when he does return. Just…, be patient with him. Okay?" Anna didn't reply. "There's just one more thing I need you to do for me…." He struggled to unclasp a bracelet from around his wrist. "I need you to give this to him…, tell him to remember what he promised me – he'll understand."_

_He'll understand…._ She sneered at the thought. _What the fuck does it matter if _he_ understands? I don't understand! Why did he leave us?_ Her mind continued to wonder as she dug further into the earth. "Because he's an asshole." She snapped.

Behind her, inside the tent, came a rustling. She turned slowly, her eyes wide and brows furrowed in confusion. "Evan?" Anna called hesitantly. The rustling grew more urgent at the sound of her voice. Her heart began to race in blind joy. She dropped the shovel and launched herself at the opening of the tent, making quick work of unzipping the entrance. "Evan!" she smiled broadly, fully prepared to wrap her arms around her friend, when she felt the air leave her.

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><p><em>How the hell did I end up here, with this man, in a fucking tank?<em> Anderson could not believe his luck – or lack of. He had been heading out of the city, _finally_, when a man on a horse came bounding down the street, leading a horde of walkers.

Anderson would have left that man behind. _I should have._ If it weren't for the fact that they were both surrounded, he would have kept going, returned to Anna and Evan, saved his best friend. However, now the two men were trapped inside of a tank.

Rummaging through his back-pack, Anderson checked over the medical supplies to ensure that none of it was broken – a single bottle of liquid morphine was the only casualty. "Were you here for the Refugee Center too?" Anderson snorted, looking up at his companion. "Then why?" He remained silent, zipping up his bag and tucking it behind him, as far from the stranger as possible. "My name is Rick Grimes. I'm a Sherriff's Deputy."

"Was." Anderson stated. Rick gave him a confused look. "You _were_ a Sherriff's Deputy. That life is over now." Rick nodded his head in deep thought when the radio began to hiss.

"Hey! Are you alive in there?"

* * *

><p>She hit the ground hard on her back. "What are you doing?" she cried, trying to push Evan off of her. "Get off!"<p>

The world around her stopped as Evan reared back letting out an inhuman roar. Without thinking, Anna reached out, grabbing the first thing she could touch – the shovel – and whipped it across Evans face, slicing his cheek open. He fell back before stumbling to his feet, not feeling the wound she had inflicted. Anna desperately scrambled for her gun.

On her feet, Anna aimed the gun at her friend, "Evan! Please, just stop!" she cried, the tears falling freely. "Please!" He drew closer to her, his eyes hungry. "Evan!" Her hands shook, the gun unsteady, her heart was pumping ice through her veins and thudding in her ears, but all she could truly hear was Evan – growling. "Please…."

His forehead split, a sharp edge poking out like a horn. He fell forward, no longer moving. Anna dropped to her knees, staring at the man in front of her.

She heard a twig break. Barely able to draw the strength to look up, she locked eyes with a new face.

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><p><strong>AN: Critiques and Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and helpful! Any questions can be asked through PMs or Reviews.**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"You killed him!" the girl shouted, launching herself at Daryl – not registering the fact that he had just saved her life. "You bastard!" she began to pound her fists against his chest until he grabbed her wrists to hold her at bay.

"Are you stupid or somethin'? He was already dead." Daryl snapped, keeping an eye on her legs, hoping she wouldn't try to kick him.

She fought against his grip, shaking violently while trying to hold back the rest of her tears. "You're lying!" she cried.

"Would you shut up, you'll bring more of 'em on us." He hissed. The girl stared at him, but said nothing. He nodded slightly before releasing her wrists and stepping back. She crouched, her arms wrapped around her in a tight hug.

Daryl rubbed the back of his neck, before shaking his head and propping his crossbow on his shoulder. He made his way to the other side of the camp, stopping at the tree line to look over his shoulder. The girl hadn't moved. Daryl thought of what Merle would do if he had found the girl instead – save her: maybe; take all of her stuff: definitely. But, would he?

He took another glance at the girl, frowning at how pathetic she looked. _Taking her shit would be too easy…,_ he reasoned. Daryl turned on his heel and disappeared behind the brush before the girl came back to her senses – he didn't need any burdens. If she died, he wouldn't care.

* * *

><p>"You must be aware of the fact that this is crazy." Anderson grimaced as the body of a fallen walker had been dragged into the room. "Or are you just insane?" he asked, looking at Rick.<p>

They had been saved by a young Asian boy, Glenn, and brought to this department store where the rest of his group had been waiting. _Only, now we're trapped in here with that stupid redneck._ Anderson thought, slipping on some rubber gloves.

While the others were conversing and getting sentimental, Anderson's mind was on Evan and Anna. _I can't lie to myself, I may not make it back in time to save Evan, but I have to get back to Anna._ The group readied themselves to start hacking at the walker. _I promised._

* * *

><p>Anna wasn't sure how long she had been crying. By the time she had calmed down the stranger that saved her was gone. She frantically looked around camp to take stock of what was there when her eyes fell on a walker approaching her. Reaching down, she pulled her pocket knife out of her boot and flipped it open. Anna felt numb as she drove the small blade into the corpse's forehead.<p>

Biting her tongue, Anna began to drag Evan's body over to the grave she had previously been digging for him. Gingerly, she crossed his arms over his chest and shut his eyes. She thumbed the bracelet he had given her before he died, contemplating whether she should burry him with it or not. The bracelet was a stainless steel plate attached to a silver chain. Through the various scratches along its surface Anna could read an engraving; _May you live all the days of your life. –Jonathan Swift._ She felt her chest constrict painfully before clasping the trinket around her left wrist.

* * *

><p>Anderson stared around the camp, taking in all of the people he found himself in the company of. He wanted nothing more than to leave immediately and make his way back to Evan and Anna. However, he had no idea which way their camp was relative to the query. He had asked earlier for a map, but everyone seemed far too busy to offer him any assistance. Aside from that, he knew he was terrible at land navigation.<p>

"What about you?" Anderson glanced over at the older man they called Dale. "What's your story? How'd you end up in the city trapped in a tank?"

Everyone watched him, waiting patiently for him to reveal himself, but he found himself reluctant to share – as he often did. "I…, was on a supply run." Anderson finally provided, hoping that would be enough.

"Were you on your own?" the young blonde pushed –_ Was her name Amy? _

"No." she continued to stare at him. It was irritatingly similar to the way Anna would stare at him when he refused to hold conversation. "I was with two other people. One of them was shot, the other is still with him and I need to get back to them."

Shane – Anderson figured he was the leader – leaned forward in his chair, clearing his throat. "Where are they?"

"To the west…." Anderson stated firmly, fully aware that it wasn't much to go on – especially at night.

"Well, you're welcome to find them and bring them back here." Lori stated.

Anderson saw the look that Shane gave her and knew that he and his companions were not entirely welcome. "Thank you for the offer," he replied stiffly.

"You're friend that was shot – will he be okay?" Rick asked, unconsciously shifting in his chair beside his wife and son.

Anderson looked into the embers of their fire, his face unreadable, before he answered, "No."

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><p><strong>AN:** **This one is really short, sorry. ****I must apologize for the abundance of the changes in POV, h****owever, at least you got some Daryl. I promise he'll be making more appearances. Like I said, this is mainly about Anna's _survival_, but, what's life – or survival – without a bit of romance? I had to rewrite Chapter Nine (and Ten) so that Daryl was as close to his character as possible - I'm not a huge fan of OOCs, and when I originally wrote Chapter Nine he was definitely that.**

**Now, I will be posting at a regular schedule of every Saturday. If any issues come up that conflict with posting, I will do my best to let you know before hand.**

**Again, I apologize to those who receive alerts in regards to _In The Eye of A Storm_ or follow me for blowing up your inboxes. ****Critiques/Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and very helpful! Any questions can be asked through PMs and/or Reviews.**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

By nightfall Anna had packed camp, leaving behind any supplies she wouldn't need or be able to carry, and set out on her own. She wasn't particularly worried about the dead surprising her as her eyes tended to adjust to the darkness sufficiently enough. Despite this, she felt uneasy.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was alone. For the first time, since everything happened, she had no one. Though she knew better, all around her the world was completely calm. Animals scurried through the underbrush, the breeze went through the trees, all as if nothing were wrong. Much like a hurricane, the most dangerous time was when it was quiet and settled. _When you feel like everything might actually be okay, it all goes to shit._

Off in her own world, she didn't notice the body in her path until she felt a hand beneath her foot. Anna's eyes found their way to the face of a walker, saw the dirty blonde hair, and realized where she was; the stream where she had washed her hair – it seemed like so long ago. Kneeling down, Anna stared into the dead eyes of the woman, briefly recalling the struggle. She reached out and closed the girls eyes, gently stroking her face contemplating the situation Marley could be in at this very moment, if Marley was even alive.

A twig broke behind her and Anna quickly drew her gun, flipping off the safety and aiming in the direction she'd heard the sound.

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><p>Daryl had barely seen her, crouched down as she was, and hadn't thought to stay quiet while gathering firewood. She whipped around faster than he had expected, aiming her gun in his general direction. He held up his hands, hoping she wouldn't mistake him for a walker. <em>That'd be a bitch…,<em> he thought cautiously stepping forward, "I ain't one o' them." The girl lowered her gun, only slightly, before reaching for her side and a light was suddenly shining on him, but not in his face.

"I've seen you before…." The girl muttered as she clicked the flashlight off. Daryl blinked rapidly in an attempt to regain his eyesight. He saw that the girl had stowed her gun and was now a few feet from him. "You…, you saved me."

"I ain't…," Daryl stopped his protest, remembering that only this morning had he saved a girl from her dad turned walker. "Oh."

She nodded, "Thank you." The moon had finally managed to break through the trees, illuminating the small clearing they were in. He could now clearly see that it was indeed the girl he had rescued earlier. "I have to ask, though." She began, as if unsure of whether she should proceed. "Why did you help me?" Daryl merely shrugged.

Suddenly feeling exposed, he busied himself with starting a fire to cook one of the squirrel he'd caught. Once there was a low flame he noticed that the girl was still standing there, watching him. "Well, sit down if you're gonna stay," he snapped as he began skinning the squirrel. She hesitated for a moment before sitting across from him. "You hungry?" Daryl asked, his voice just a tad harsher than he meant.

She nodded slowly before removing her pack and rummaging through it, "I have food – some beans and jerky – if you want some." She offered, holding out said items.

Daryl looked between her and her food, "You eat yours, I'll eat mine." He stated simply. She didn't protest and began chewing on her jerky in silence after stashing the can of beans. They sat quietly eating, and keeping alert for any threats. Daryl noticed that she kept glancing between him and the fire. "What?" he finally growled in annoyance.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He stared at her for a solid minute before he replied, "Daryl."

"Anna."

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><p>Anderson tied his back pack shut after ensuring he still had all of his supplies. "So, you're heading out?" He looked up to see the blonde woman approaching him. <em>What was her name again?<em> He wondered.

"Yes." He replied, securing his bag onto his back before checking his gun.

"I hope you find your friends." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"I doubt Anna has left camp. She wouldn't leave Evan behind." He muttered more to reassure himself than the woman before him.

"You know you're welcome to join us – you and your friends." She added the last bit quickly.

Anderson nodded, tucking his gun into his jeans, "I'm not entirely sure everyone in your group agrees with that hospitality."

"Not everyone in the group would be here without that hospitality." She countered. "Seriously, though, whether you find your friends or not, we'll be here."

Anderson went to leave but was stopped by Rick calling to him. "I'd like to apologize, again, for getting you stuck in that tank with me." Rick held out his hand. Anderson stared down at it, his eyebrow cocked. He gave a quick glance at Rick before accepting the gesture. "I know I can't make up for the loss of time, and I deeply regret that."

Just as they ended the hand shake, a scream ripped through the camp. Everyone dropped what they were doing, running towards the frantic cries, weapons at the ready. Anderson curled his lip in disgust at the sight of a walker feeding on a deer. He noticed the arrow in the deer's hind quarters as the walker rose at the presence of fresher meat.

The men began to attack the walker, knocking it to the ground before Dale brought an ax down on its neck, affectively dismembering the head. A man broke through the tree line and Anderson drew his gun, not sure if he was friend of foe.

"Son of a bitch!" the stranger shouted. "That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this…," the man began kicking the body of the fallen walker, "filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale reasoned in an attempt to calm the man.

"What do you know about it, old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to _On Golden Pond_?" he mocked. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." He tore the bolt from the deer's hind. "What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

"I would not risk that." Shane replied.

"That's a damn shame." He sighed, "I got some squirrel, 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do."

The walker head suddenly awoke, snapping its jaws at the prey just out of reach. "Oh, God." One of the blonde women groaned, hurriedly leaving the scene with her sister.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" he asked, shooting a bolt into the creature, "It's gotta be the brain - don't ya'll know nothin'?" The man walked around Anderson and began shouting for Merle. _This must be that idiot's brother…._ Anderson internally groaned at that thought of having to deal with yet another loose cannon until he remembered he was leaving to go find Anna.

"Anderson."

**A/N: For the remainder of this story it should focus more on Anna's point of view except for **_**maybe**_** a few scene's later on in the this installment.**

**I intend for chapter eleven to be posted on Saturday, but I am having some minor writer's block.**

**As always, Critiques and Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and **_**very**_** helpful. Any questions can be asked through PMs or Reviews. Feedback, any feedback, would be good to have. Chapter Eleven next Saturday!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Anna stared blankly at the opposite wall of the truck, swaying side to side as it made its way towards Atlanta. She could feel Anderson's eyes burning into the side of her head, but she refused to give him any attention. She was far too preoccupied anyway, trying to come to terms with her most recent decision.

_Two hours earlier…,_

"Anderson." Anna had her gun drawn and aimed at Anderson's head as he turned to face her.

"Anna," his eyes locked onto the barrel of her gun and he held his hands up in submission. "Anna, what are you doing here? Where's Evan?"

"In the ground." She snapped, her finger shaking on the trigger to her gun. Anderson's eyes moved to hers, as if trying to determine if she was telling the truth.

"Now, you don't want to go and do something you'll regret – Anna was it?"

"Stay out of this, Dan." Anderson commanded the old man in his fishing hat.

Anna tried her hardest to keep the gun steady. She would kill him. He had left her alone, let Evan die – let him become one of _them_. She would kill him – she said she would – so, why wasn't her damn finger pulling back the trigger?

Her heart was pounding in her ears, remembering the sight of Evan's forehead splitting with one of Daryl's bolts. She still had the dirt under her nails from burying him. It was yesterday that she lost him, that she proclaimed her mission to kill Anderson, but here he was – right in front of her, his hands up in submission, at gun point, his life in her hands…. But, she couldn't do it. She couldn't pull the fucking trigger.

_Present…,_

"Anna, right?" she drew her attention over to the man in a small town police uniform, Rick, and nodded. "How do the two of you know each other?" he asked, referring to Anderson. Anna cracked her pinky knuckle, "If you don't mind me askin', that is."

"A mutual friend," she replied, not wanting to go into detail over what had occurred not too long ago. Rick nodded, not wanting to push the topic any further.

* * *

><p>As the truck approached the city limits Anna pulled her gun out to ensure it had a full clip. "He'd better be okay," Daryl snipped, directing the poorly disguised threat at T-Dog.<p>

"I told you..," T-Dog sighed, "the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us.

"We'll walk from here," Glenn stated, turning the engine off. Everyone exited the truck and began to make their way down the railroad tracks that led into the city until they arrived at a fence.

Anna took in the state of the city as the men cut through. It had changed a lot since the last time she'd seen it. _Apparently the rumors of bombing the city were real_…, she mused. "Merle first or guns?" Rick asked.

"Merle! We ain't even havin' this conversation," Daryl snapped. Anna couldn't lie, even to herself, she'd go for her brother first too if she were in Daryl's situation.

Rick sighed, "We are." He turned his attention to Glenn before continuing, "You know the geography. It's your call.

Glenn looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else as Daryl stared him down. "Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first."

Anna couldn't help but think that they'd have to double back regardless of what they went for first, and apparently, so did Anderson.

"We would be doubling back regardless."

Daryl shot a venomous look at the man, "Merle first."

* * *

><p>By the time the group reached the department building, Anna's knee was throbbing, the memory of the attack on her at the airport in the back of her head. She shook her head as she followed close behind Daryl who led the charge into the store, his crossbow ready.<p>

"Damn…," he muttered, "you are one ugly skank." He stated at a walker before shooting it down.

"Was that really necessary?" Anna asked scanning the aisles for more undead before they proceeded up the stairs.

"Yes." He stated simply, retrieving his arrow.

It didn't take long until the six found themselves on the roof. Daryl shouted for his brother before he let out a slight sob. Anna had to double take to ensure that it was in fact Daryl who had made the sound.

"No! No! No!" Anna cringed at his cries. The group noticed the saw on the ground, lying beside a severed hand and empty handcuffs. Everyone remained silent as they stared at Merle's hand, Daryl having finally calmed down – at least, that's what Anna thought until he suddenly turned on T-Dog, his crossbow leveled with his head.

Rick pulled his own gun and trained it on Daryl's head, "I won't hesitate." He stated when Daryl wouldn't move. "I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

"I do…," Anna muttered, unconsciously stepping closer to Anderson.

Daryl glanced back at her before he contemplated how serious Rick seemed to be. He dropped his crossbow, "You got a do-rag or somethin'?' he asked. T-Dog fished a bandana out of his pocket and handed it over. Daryl quickly wrapped Merle's hand, "I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch," he shoved the bundle into Glenn's pack. "He must have used a tourniquet…, maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't."

Anna silently applauded him on the way he was handling the situation, the group trailing after him as he followed a trail of blood. Anna took note of T-Dog collecting the tools that had been left on the roof.

* * *

><p>"Is it the city that makes people do stupid things or is everyone genuinely insane?" Anderson grumbled.<p>

Rick nodded, "You're not doing this alone."

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much," Daryl agreed.

Glenn rolled his eyes, "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast." He made a quick layout of the street, "Look. That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you two into when we first met," he glanced between Rick and Anderson. "That's where Daryl, Anderson and I will go."

"Why me?" Daryl scoffed.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun. While they wait here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

Rick thought a moment, "You got us elsewhere?'

Glenn motions to a spot on his map, "You three, right. You'll be in this alley here."

"Two blocks away? Why?" Rick inquired.

"I may not be able to come back the same way." Glenn answered, "Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl and Anderson. "I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."

"Hey, kid," Daryl called, "what'd you do before all of this?"

"Delivered pizzas. Why?" Glenn asked.

Anna scrunched up her nose, thinking of how much she'd love some pizza when she realized something, "What if you get crowded by too many walkers for you to handle on your own?" Glenn looked up, slightly pale. "I can see where a big group would slow you down, but having at least one person to cover your back would be rather beneficial, don't you think?" Anna offered.

"And, let me guess – you volunteer for the job?" Anderson sneered. She didn't outwardly acknowledge him but everyone could see how rigged she became at his words.

"Daryl's crossbow is good cover from afar, but if you have someone with a knife tagging along – someone fast."

"I'll go," Anderson stated.

"You're too slow," Anna snapped.

The tension was palpable in the room before Glenn cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'll take Anna."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **Okay! Chapter Eleven is finally here! Yay! I had major writers' block for the past two weeks on this story, but with the help of my lovely best friend, I finally have the chapter for you!**

**As always, Critiques and Reviews are most welcome, appreciated and _very_ helpful. Any questions can be asked through PMs or Reviews. Feedback, _any_ feedback, would be good to have. ****Chapter Twelve will be out next Saturday - I can promise that with certainty because I'm already working on it.**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Anna made her way down a ladder behind Glenn and Daryl. At the end of the alley the three peered through the fence while Daryl loaded his crossbow. "You got some balls for a Chinaman," he commented.

"I'm Korean," Glenn snapped.

"Whatever,"

Anna rolled her eyes at Daryl before slipping her hunting knife from its sheath. "You ready?" Glenn asked, calling her attention to him. She nodded, "You stay on me, got that?"

"Like white on rice," she agreed, quietly smirking at her lame, and slightly racist, joke.

Glenn eased the gate open before making his way through and weaving his way around cars to avoid the walkers lingering around. Anna followed closely, her knife poised and ready for anything that she deemed a threat.

Without any more coverage the pair raced the rest of the way to the bag of guns. Anna tightened her grip on her knife as the geeks began to converge on them. "Let's go!" Glenn hissed as he snatched up the sheriff's hat from the ground.

"Help! Help!" Anna pushed her legs harder as the cries reached her ears. Two walkers closed in around her as Glenn rounded the corner. She buried her knife into the head of the closest walker positioning it between her and the next one. As she removed her knife she brought her foot up into the walkers' stomach, pushing it into the corpse behind it.

Screeching tires filled her ears and she turned just in time to dive out of the way of an oncoming car. "Fuck!" she hissed as her elbow throbbed and stung from its impact against the pavement. Anna heard a growl come from above before a walker threw itself on top of her. Her chest constricted in the familiar asthma attack as she struggled to keep the large walker from biting into her flesh. She maneuvered her head to see that she had dropped her knife. She cursed her luck until her attention was drawn by the scene of Glenn being dragged into the car she'd almost been run over by. "Glenn!" she called, pushing harder against the body on top of her.

"Get back here you sumbitches!" Daryl shouted after the car.

"Daryl!" Anna cried. He turned to see her pinned and sprinted over as he whipped out his knife. He shoved it into the back of the walkers head before tearing it off of her. She jumped to her feet and scooped up her own knife.

"Come on!" Daryl commanded shoving her towards the alley as more and more walkers arrived.

Immediately after Daryl closed the gate behind them Anna dropped to her knees, attempting to even her breathing

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop it." Anna looked up to see that Rick, T-Dog and Anderson had arrived in time to stop Daryl from harming the boy she hadn't noticed before.

"I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!" Daryl threatened.

"Anna?" Anderson came into her line of sight as he kneeled down in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"They took Glenn," her voice was tight as she tried to sit straight.

Daryl fleetingly glanced at her before turning back to Rick and the boy, "That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends. I'm gonna stomp your ass!"

"Where's your inhaler?" Anderson asked, placing his hands on Anna's shoulders to steady her. She started digging through her jacket pockets for the blue puffer but found them empty. "Hands behind your head." Anderson ordered, lifting up her arms, "Deep breaths." Anna didn't argue as she clasped her fingers together.

"Guys! Guys! We're cut off!" T-Dog warned, looking down at Anna with concern.

"Get to the lab. Go."

Daryl yanked the boy up by his arm, "Come on."

"Damn," Anderson sighed, helping Anna to her feet. She wanted to get away from Anderson but didn't have a choice but to accept his help as she could barely stand on her own.

* * *

><p>After overcoming her asthma attack, Anna found herself in a corner, silently fuming over her failure to protect Glenn. She thought bitterly how she was no better than Anderson – though a voice in the back of her said it wasn't her fault. Or was that T-Dog?<p>

"Anna?" she looked up to see T-Dog standing in front of her. If she had met him before the world went to shit, he probably would've intimidated her – not because he was black; a lot of people intimidated her. At least back then. _You can't afford to be afraid anymore…,_ she thought looking back down at her hands. "We'll get him back," T-Dog assured.

Nodding absently, Anna bit the inside of her cheek. "We will,"

"You aren't coming with us."

Anna's nostrils flared and she stood to stare down Anderson. "The hell I'm not!" she snapped, her fists clenched at her side.

"No, Anderson is right, we can't risk you slowing us down – no offense," Rick agreed apologetically.

"No offense?" Anna scoffed.

Daryl cleared his throat, "Look, ya ain't comin', aright? Sides, we need someone to stay an' watch the guns."

"Please, Anna…," Anderson sighed, stepping closer, "Evan would say the same thing –"

"Don't you dare bring him into this!" she hissed. It took all of her will power not to lash out at him.

"I don't want you staying behind on your own, though," Rick cut in, attempting to ease the tension.

"I'll stay," T-Dog offered, glancing between Anna and Anderson.

"Good idea," Daryl said, "Don' need more dead bodies 'round here." Anna furrowed her brow in confusion and irritation.

* * *

><p>Anna paced back and forth in the lab while T-Dog sat against the far wall. She scuffed her boots against the tile with every other step and heaved a sigh every time she turned. These actions were annoying T-Dog who had been attempting to take a nap for the past hour.<p>

"Pacing isn't gonna bring 'em back any faster," he commented.

She stilled for a moment before she took it up again, "It helps me calm down," she muttered, clasping her hands in front of her mouth.

"They're gonna be fine,"

Anna huffed and took a seat in front of him. She watched him for a few minutes in silence as he tried to ignore her. "Why did you stay with me?" she finally asked.

"Why do you hate Anderson?" he countered, not bothering to open his eyes until after he'd asked.

She chewed her cheek for a moment, trying to decide if she wanted to divulge that information. "Evan Magnus." She stated simply. "Evan and I met on a plane heading for South Carolina. It landed in Atlanta where we met Anderson – Evan and Anderson worked together – they took me with them when the world went to shit, taught me how to use a gun, make a fire, set traps and skin a rabbit – apparently they used to go hunting." Anna started picking at her nails, trying to hide the pain she was feeling at remembering the time they had spent in the apartment and in the woods. "Evan was like a father to me, really. I mean, they were both always so protective of me, but Anderson's so detached emotionally, you know? Evan was always smiling and laughing. He made me forget sometimes that the world was over…,"

"Anderson mentioned him – didn't say much…,"

"Yeah…, they went on a supply run – left me at camp. When they came back, Evan was hurt and they were being followed by those corpses. Anderson went back into the city to get medicine for Evan…, but, he never came back."

T-Dog was quiet for a long time before he continued to question her, "How did you meet Daryl?"

"Evan turned and I couldn't put him down, Daryl saved me." T-Dog seemed to be processing the information, surprised that Daryl would have bothered with anyone that wasn't himself or Merle.

"And, he just let you come with him?"

Anna shook her head, a sad smile forming. "No, he left while I was busy burying Evan. I went off on my own and ran into him again," she explained. "I wasn't really concerned with going along with anyone, really…. All I wanted was to kill Anderson." T-Dog stiffened. "But, when I finally found him again…, I couldn't do it." T-Dog relaxed. "The thought of what Evan would've said about it…." She let out a long sigh, "I just couldn't disappoint him."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everyone! I'm posting chapter twelve to give some important updates on _In The Eye of A Storm_ because I realize that not everyone wants to go all the way to my profile to get the following information!**

_**In The Eye of A Storm**_** is on a temporary hiatus. It _will_ return once I've finished it so that there aren't any more delays in updating it. At the moment of posting Chapter Twelve, I am working on Chapter Fifteen! Woot!**

**Now! On to stuff about the chapter; obviously it was Anna/T-Dog bonding - honestly, I really liked the potential his character had and I wanted to give him some more attention. I'm hoping for T-Dog to have more chances to further his character in my story.**

**The Daryl/Anna relationship will, of course, happen, you just need to be patient!**

**Reviews are welcome, helpful and much appreciated! Any questions can be asked in reviews or PMs! They'll most likely be answered through PMs (If answering the question isn't going to spoil the story).**


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